BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Vrattsata (Вратцата) or Vratsa Pass.
First stamp in a set of 6, issued on 26.10.1964.
Face value: 1 Bulgarian stotinka.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 10,000,000 copies.
Size: 22 x 33 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1470.
- Scott No. 1372.
- StampWorld No. 1482.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1481.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1285.

The Vrattsata Pass is a narrow passage amidst the tall cliffs formed by the Leva River, in the Vrachanski Balkan, which is part of the Balkan Mountains. It is located between the towns of Vratsa (393 m, or 1,289 ft, above sea level) and Zgorigrad (465 m, or 1,525 ft), in northwestern Bulgaria. In the Middle Ages, it was called Vratitsa and remains of the fortress of the same name (10th - 12th centuries) are preserved in it. The sheer cliffs of Vrattsata are the highest on the Balkan Peninsula (over 400 m, or 1,312 ft) and are the most popular climbing spot in Bulgaria. The third category road III-1002 runs through the pass. It was declared a natural monument in 1964, with an area of 2 hectares, and is part of the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Smolyan Lakes (Смолянските езера).
First stamp in a set of 8, issued on 17.05.1968.
Face value: 1 Bulgarian stotinka.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 25,000,000 copies.
Size: 26 x 36 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1802.
- Scott No. 1681.
- StampWorld No. 1802.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1795.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1618.

The Smolyan Lakes (Bulgarian: Смолянските езера) are located in the Bukova Mountains, Western Rhodopes, north of the Orpheus Rocks and Snezhanka Peak. They are scattered along the left slope of the Cherna River valley to the town of Smolyan. They were formed by a large landslide that occurred as a result of contact between rhyolitic rocks and water-resistant sedimentary rocks located below them. In the past there were more than twenty lakes, but now there are only 8 left, the others today are swamps.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Malyovitsa Peak.
Third stamp in a set of 6, issued on 26.10.1964.
Vace value: 3 Bulgarian stotinski.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 6,000,000 copies.
Size: 22 x 32 cm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1472.
- Scott No. 1374.
- StampWorld No. 1484.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1483.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1287.

Malyovitsa (Bulgarian: Мальовица) is a peak in the northwestern part of the Rila Mountain in southwestern Bulgaria. It is 2,729 m (8,953 ft) high. The Malyovitsa region is the cradle of Bulgarian rock climbing and mountaineering. The imposant north wall of the summit was first climbed in August 23, 1938 by Konstantin Savadzhiev and Georgi Stoimenov.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Trigrad Gorge in Rhodope Mountains.
Last stamp in a set of 6, issued on 26.10.1964.
Face value: 6 Bulgarian stotinki.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 3,000,000 copies.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1475.
- Scott No. 1377.
- StampWorld No. 1487.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1486.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1290.

The Rhodopes (Bulgarian: Родопи; Greek: Ροδόπη) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. They are part of the Rila-Rhodope massif. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak at 2,191 m (7,188 ft). The region is particularly notable for its karst areas with their deep river gorges, large caves and specific sculptured forms. A significant part of Bulgaria's hydropower resources are located in the western areas of the range. There are a number of hydro-cascades and dams used for electricity production, irrigation, and as tourist destinations. The name of the Rhodope Mountains is of Thracian origin: In Greek mythology, Queen Rhodope of Thrace, the wife of King Haemus of Thrace, offended the gods, and was changed into a mountain by Zeus and Hera as a punishment along with her husband. The mountains are also associated with the mythic figure of Orpheus. Fifteen reserves have been established in the region, some of which are under UNESCO protection.

The Trigrad Gorge (Bulgarian: Триградско ждрело) is a canyon of vertical marble rocks in Smolyan Province, one of the southernmost provinces of Bulgaria. The gorge encloses the course of the Trigrad River, which plunges into the Devil's Throat Cave and 530 m (1,740 ft) further emerges as a large karst spring.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Vasil Kolarov (now: Golyan Beglik) Dam.
First stamp in a set of 5, issued on 16.05.1952.
Face value: 4 Bulgarian stotinki.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 15,000,000 copies.
Size: 30.5 x 26.5 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 813.
- Scott No. 770.
- StampWorld No. 803.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 857.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 710.

Golyam Beglik is a 4,126 km² (1,593 sq mi) reservoir on the Kriva River located in the Pazardzhik Province, in the western Rhodope Mountains. Construction of the dam began in 1956 and was officially inaugurated on November 18, 1951 under the name of the communist leader Vasil Kolarov, a name that remained until June 11, 1999. It was originally designed as an irrigation dam, but later used for hydroelectric plants. The levee is 46.50 m (152.56 ft) high and 191 m (627 ft) long. The top of the wall is 1,528.5 m (5,015 ft) above sea level.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

BULGARIA

 

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Cape Kaliakra.
Sixth stamp in a set of 8, issued on 17.05.1968.
Face value: 13 Bulgarian stotinki.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 5,000,000 copies.
Size: 26 x 36 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1807.
- Scott No. 1686.
- StampWorld No. 1807.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1800.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1623.

Kaliakra (Bulgarian: Калиакра) is a cape in the Southern Dobruja region of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, which ends with a long and narrow headland 12 km (7 mi) east of Kavarna.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

First Bulgarian Mount Everest Ascent.
Mount Everest.
Stamp issued on 31.05.1984.
Face value: 5 Bulgarian stotinki.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,000,000 copies.
Size: 33 x 44 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 3269.
- Scott No. 2981.
- StampWorld No. 3279.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 3150.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 2844.

Mount Everest (in Nepali, सगरमाथा [Sagarmāthā]; in Tibetan, ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ [Chomolungma]; in Chinese, 珠穆朗玛 [Zhūmùlǎngmǎ]), in the Himalayas, 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) high above sea level, it is the highest mountain on the earth's surface. It is located on the border between Nepal (on its south face) and Tibel, in China (on its north face). After several attempts, the Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and the New Zelander Edmund Hillary were the first to officially reach the summit, via the southeast ridge, on May 29, 1953. The first ascent up the north ridge was made by the Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo and Qu Yinhua on May 25, 1960. The name by which the mountain is universally known, adopted by the Royal Geographical Society in 1865, is that of the British George Everest, who had been General Surveyor of India.

The mountaineer Hristo Prodanov (Bulgarian: Христо Проданов), born in Karlovo on February 24, 1943, died on Mount Everest on April 22, 1984. A member of the first Bulgarian expedition to Mount Everest, he was also the first Bulgarian to reach the summit of the mountain on April 21, 1984, doing it via the most difficult way (the West Ridge) as well as alone and without oxygen. Climbing the summit at 18:15 local time, he had to descend overnight and got lost shortly after that. On the next afternoon, I have reported he had lost his gloves and soon would be unable to hold the radio button long enough to talk. His body of him was never found.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Pirin (Пирин) Mountains.
Second stamp in a set of 5, issued on 13.03.1962.
Face value: 2 Bulgarian stotinki.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 10,000,000 copies.
Size: 34 x 26 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 1315.
- Scott No. 1231.
- StampWorld No. 1295.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1306.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1148.

The Pirin Mountains (Bulgarian: Пирин) are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren (Вихрен), at an altitude of 2,914 m (9,560 ft) being the highest peak. The range extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the north-west to the south-east and is about 40 km (25 mi) wide, spanning a territory of 2,585 km² (998 sq mi). To the north Pirin is separated from Bulgaria's highest mountain range, the Rila Mountain, by the Predel saddle, while to the south it reaches the Slavyanka Mountain. To the west is located the valley of the river Struma and to the east the valley of the river Mesta separates it from the Rhodope Mountains. Pirin is dotted with more than a hundred glacial lakes and is also the home of Europe's southernmost glaciers, Snezhnika and Banski Suhodol. The northern part of the range, which is also the highest one, is protected by the Pirin National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

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Thanks to Dragan Buškulić for his contribution (https://worldofstamp2.wordpress.com/).

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Chudnite Skali (Чудните Скали, "Wonderful Rocks").
Last stamp in a set of 8, issued on 17.05.1968.
Face value: 2 Bulgarian leva.
Printing: Photogravure.
Print: 1,100,000 copies.
Size: 26 x 36 mm.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1809.
- Scott No. 1688.
- StampWorld No. 1809.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1802.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1625.

Chudnite Skali (Чудните Скали, “Wonderful Rocks”) is a collection of ten curious limestone rock formations, shaped by the erosion of wind and water, the highest of which reaches 50 m (164 ft). They are located on the banks of the Tsonevo Reservoir, formed by the Luda Kamchia River, about 4 km (2.5 mi) from Asparuhovo, in the Varna province of eastern Bulgaria. A road (visible on the stamp) runs through them through three tunnels. The place was declared a natural phenomenon by a decree of February 17, 1949.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Landscapes.
Erma river Gorge (Ждрело на река Ерма).
Third stamp in a set of 8, issued on 17.05.1968.
Face value: 3 stotinki.
Print: 4,000,000 copies.
Size: 23 x 26 mm.

Catalogues
- StampWorld No. 1804.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1620.

The Erma Gorge is about 100 m (328 ft) long and about 5 m (16 ft) wide at the narrowest part. On both sides rise the cliff walls of peak Zhilav Kamak (The Tough Rock) in south and Tsarkvishteto (The Chapel) in north. It is located about 3 km from the city of Tran, in the province of Pernik, near the border with Serbia. On July 26, 1961 it was declared a National Monument in order to preserve its unique rock formations.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Rila (Рила) Mountains.
First stamp in a set of 5, issued on 13.03.1962.
Face value: 1 stotinka.
Print: 14,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1314.
- StampWorld No. 1294.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1147.

Rila is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila-Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an altitude of 2,925 m (9,596 ft). It spans a territory of 2,629 km² (1,015 sq mi) with an average altitude of 1,487 m (4,878 ft). The biodiversity and the pristine landscapes are protected by Rila National Park which covers much of the mountain; the rest lies within Rila Monastery Nature Park.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Musala (Мусала) Peak.
Sixth stamp in a set of 7, issued on 25.09.1967.
Face value: 15 stotinki.
Printing: Photogravure and recess.
Print: 200,000 copies.

Catalogues
- Michel No. 1755.
- StampWorld No. 1754.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 1744.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 1541.

Musala Peak (2,925 m / 9,596 ft), on Rila-Rhodope Massif, is the highest in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, and the third most topographically isolated major peak in continental Europe. It is located within the Rila National Park. Its name comes from the Arabic word (through Ottoman Turkish) Musalla, which can be translated as “near God” or “place of prayer”.

BULGARIA

BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ.

Iskar Gorge (Искърски пролом) and Iskar river, in the Balkan mountains.

First stamp in a set of 2, issued on 03.02.1962.
Face value: 1 stotinka.
Print: 5,000,000 copies.

Catalogues
- StampWorld No. 1289.